Problem Based Learning (PBL) Progess
The principle of Problem Based Learning (PBL): the 'Seven-Jump'
1. Clarify difficult terms and concepts / All members of the team should understand the text. A dictionary could come handy.2. Define problems and develop questions / Every member of the team suggests something that would be interesting to know based on the text. It has to be expressed in the form of a question.
Example: “Is it possible for a company to have profits and at the same time keep falling in the stock market?”
Some questions would turn later to be repetitive or can be grouped with others, but at this moment, don’t make judgments and write them all. Later on you will classify them. You should produce in this stage about 10 questions. When your group develops these questions please make sure that the question is relevant (to the subject, the book, the concepts, business/professional development, etc…). Try not to judge the question at this stage.
3. Brainstorm / Discuss all of the questions. Some of them can be answered by one of the members of the team thanks to previous knowledge. You might decide that some of them are not relevant for this specific moment. Don’t drop any question if one of the members is not satisfied with the discussion. Refine the question that will be studied.
4. Analyze problems / Classify the remaining questions. Group some, split some, specify more, etc. Also assign priorities (if need be).
5. Formulate learning objectives / Out of the remaining questions define the learning objectives: What do you have to research in order to answer that question. It is expressed as an action.
Example: “Look for the differences between profits and market price of stock.”
It is your guide for extra class activities. What will be learned and why is it important?
6. Study relevant literature / Go to the library and/or books and/or internet, to get the information required in the learning objectives. All members of the team have to search for all the learning objectives, otherwise wouldn’t exist discussion in the next step. Research the information needed from multiple sources.
7. Report back / Review each one of the questions with your new acquired information. You should be able to sustain an animated debate. Organize to prepare a report of your findings. Email the group’s findings to the professor.
Roles:
Discussion Leader / He/She is in charge of several actions:- Control the discipline. If somebody is distracted, he/she should call him/her attention.
- Control the time. The task should be finished before the class is over.
- Control the sequence. The 7 steps have to be followed in sequence. ALL of them.
Secretary / He/She is in charge of the note taking. In and after class is in charge that everybody in the team share the same information. He/She can select among several resources: the blackboard in the classroom, a laptop, the discussion area (in WebCT), etc.
Participant / They should be ready to behave properly during class, participate actively, share their knowledge, provide ideas, etc.
Informal roles (avoid them at all costs):
“Na-Sayer” / He/She keeps saying “No…”, “It cannot be done…”, “It is too hard…” etc. The worst is that never gives an alternative proposition. Just keeps destroying arguments.“Distractor” / He/She looks for sideline issues, irrelevant to the topic. That makes the team not being able to finish in due time. Gossip and personal conversations are included in this area.
“Star of show” / He/She takes the microphone and don’t stop talking.
“Grave” / He/She is to shy to talk or doesn’t care and let others do the job.
“Manipulator” / He/She wants to impose his or her opinion and demerits (even without reason) other ideas. Able to see little defects on other’s arguments, but fail to see big mistakes in his/her owns.
“Multitasker” / He/She, using the argument of being able to manage more than one task at the time, either takes a nap, or eats, or studies for other courses, or does homework, or e-mails somebody, etc.
Characteristics of a PBL student: Independent, Assertive, Mature, Communicative, Curious, Disciplined, Organized.
Report characteristics:
- Punctuality. Due the Thursday after the next class once your group finishes step 7. A printed copy is needed that to discuss in class. It should also be posted in WebCTThursday before 11:59 pm.
- Personal comment. The team might turn just one report as a team, but every member should write and post a personal comment on WebCT. If a comment is late would be late just for that person.
- Content (in that order):
- Title (Task number and name, date, and course)
- Team Members
- Learning Objectives
- Questions (those remaining after step 4) with corresponding essay answers (developed after discussion in step 7) and links to references section.
- References (books, journals, magazines, internet sites)
- Format: Word processor with professional presentation. In the electronic report you don’t have to save pages. Try to save them in the printed version. You select font, font size, page setup, etc.
Evaluation:
Professor, self, and co-evaluation grade the same aspects:
Place / If you or your teammates5 / I/He/She kept a respectful attitude all the time, participated actively in all the team activities, seemed to spend sufficient time studying the learning objectives and came prepared to the sessions, arrived on time to all sessions, and collaborated for a successful learning inside the team. Additionally, I/He/She was the one of the team that expended the most time studying and preparing the material, motivating and controlling the team, etc. In short, the best of the team.
4 / I/He/She kept a respectful attitude all the time, participated actively in all the team activities, seemed to spend sufficient time studying the learning objectives and came prepared to the sessions, arrived on time to all sessions, and collaborated for a successful learning inside the team.
3 / I/He/She kept an acceptable attitude all the time, participated more or less in all the team activities, seemed to barely spend time studying the learning objectives and came not really prepared to the sessions, arrived a little late to some sessions, and barely collaborated for some learning inside the team.
2 / I/He/She kept a distracted attitude most of the time, participated with some complaints in some of the team activities, seemed to practically not spend time studying the learning objectives and came unprepared to the sessions, arrived late to some sessions, and collaborated very few for learning inside the team.
1 / I/He/She kept distracting, side-talking, or complaining all the time, participated complaining in few of the team activities, seemed to not spend time studying the learning objectives and came unprepared to the sessions, arrived late to most sessions, and didn’t collaborate for any learning inside the team.
0 / I/He/She never showed in any session
Example:
Bill and David are employees of Sport Products Co. One day, talking about the company, David was complaining that besides the hard work, the price of the company stock kept going down, accumulating 20 point per share during the last 9 months. Bill was also worried that although the profits in the same period increased, still the price of the stock decreased. David answered: “There is no sense. Even if profits grow, the stockholders don’t receive any benefit because, as much as I know, the company hasn’tbeen paying any dividends the last 10 years. The only way for the stockholders to obtain a benefit is through the increase on the price of the stock.” Bill said that he listened all managers receive a bonus based on the profits of the company and he was wondering if this makes the production of profits the most important issue for the financial manager of the company. “However, he might not be performing adequately.” David said: “Probably that explains why the company has been sued by environmental authorities on contamination charges. Why expend money on ecological controls? That would increase costs, reduce profits, and hence, reduce managerial earnings!”
Examples (could be more):
1. Clarify difficult terms and concepts / Share=stock, piece of paper that entitles anyone possessing it as a partial (depending of the number of shares issued) owner of the company.2. Define problems / Q1: “Is it possible for a company to have profits and at the same time keep decreasing the price of the stock in the market?”
3. Brainstorm / Several members could say that this is a common fact, but they were not able to explain exactly why.
4. Analyze problems / Marked as a relevant question for the topic at hand: Introduction to financial markets
5. Formulate learning objectives / LO1: “Look for the differences between profits and market price of stock.”
6. Study relevant literature / Somebody reads chapter 1 of Gitman´s Fundamentals of Financial Management. Others look for the same topic in alternative (similar) books.
7. Report back / Compare/contrast findings and selects the most satisfying answer to write it down in the report.